Chet Holmgren Leads Oklahoma City Thunder to 116-104 Victory Over San Antonio Spurs

The Oklahoma City Thunder opened the season with a 116-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 32 points.

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 116-104 in their season opener on Tuesday night. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the scoring with 32 points, while Chet Holmgren contributed 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Holmgren served as the primary defender against Victor Wembanyama, who finished the game shooting 1-of-13 from the floor.

A physical altercation occurred early in the second quarter after Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox committed a flagrant foul by grabbing Holmgren’s shoulders and throwing him to the floor. The incident resulted in four technical fouls following a review: one against Wembanyama and one each for Thunder teammates Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams, and Kenrich Williams. Jaylin Williams was the first to confront Fox, leading to a face-to-chest encounter with Wembanyama.

Fox claimed Holmgren embellished the contact, stating he did not throw the 7-footer hard. Conversely, Jalen Williams noted that the reaction was an instinctive effort to support his teammate, despite the resulting $2,500 fine for his technical foul. This performance followed Holmgren's previous meeting with the Spurs in the Western Conference finals Game 7, where he recorded four points and four rebounds in a home loss.